Scottish Executive

Aggregates Tax

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered, or will consider, the introduction of a sustainability fund for Scotland’s share of the aggregates levy.

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult on the possibility of establishing a sustainability fund for Scotland’s share of the aggregates levy.

Allan Wilson: The assigned budget will receive approximately £3 million per year from 2002-03 as part of the allocation by the Treasury of the proceeds of the aggregates levy. Ministers have decided to allocate this to the Environment portfolio and decisions on how to distribute the monies will be made soon.

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) children and (b) adults with alcohol-related problems were admitted to each (i) children's hospital and (ii) acute hospital in each of the last three years, broken down by age profile where appropriate.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Information on the number of children and adults with an alcohol-related diagnosis who were discharged from children's hospitals and general acute hospitals in the last three years is given in the following table.

  Alcohol-related discharges from children's hospitals and general acute hospitals in 1999-2001

  

 

Children's hospitals 
  

General acute hospitals 
  



1999 
  



Age 0-15 
  

78 
  

670 
  



Age 16-24 
  

- 
  

3,036 
  



Age 25-34 
  

- 
  

4,276 
  



Age 35-44 
  

- 
  

6,954 
  



Age 45-64 
  

- 
  

13,084 
  



Age 65+ 
  

- 
  

5,380 
  



2000 
  



Age 0-15 
  

100 
  

775 
  



Age 16-24 
  

- 
  

2,990 
  



Age 25-34 
  

- 
  

4,146 
  



Age 35-44 
  

- 
  

6,977 
  



Age 45-64 
  

- 
  

13,591 
  



Age 65+ 
  

- 
  

5,358 
  



2001 
  



Age 0-15 
  

94 
  

662 
  



Age 16-24 
  

- 
  

3,044 
  



Age 25-34 
  

- 
  

4,158 
  



Age 35-44 
  

- 
  

6,956 
  



Age 45-64 
  

- 
  

13,393 
  



Age 65+ 
  

- 
  

5,088 
  



  Source: Scottish Morbidity Record, SMR01.

  Notes:

  Alcohol-related conditions are defined using the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10).

  Figures relate to discharges where an alcohol-related diagnosis is recorded as either the primary or secondary reason for admission to hospital.

  There are three children's hospitals in Scotland: Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Glasgow), Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital and Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Edinburgh). Children will also be routinely seen in general acute hospitals.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to tackle disorder and anti-social behaviour in Inverclyde.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is providing substantial funding in support of policing in Scotland and police numbers are now at record levels. Within these resources, tackling crime and disorder in particular areas is an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with local communities. In addition to the funding provided to police authorities, the Executive is investing £12 million over the next three years in a Community Safety Award Programme to allow council-led Community Safety Partnerships to tackle local issues such as disorder and anti-social behaviour. For 2002-03, the Inverclyde Partnership has been allocated over £113,000. Measures to tackle anti-social behaviour within communities in a housing context include provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and an Executive-funded sociable neighbourhood initiative. Interim Anti-Social Behaviour Orders are proposed in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill currently before the Parliament, to provide immediate protection pending the process of applying for a full Anti-Social Behaviour Order.

Apprenticeships

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people completing modern apprenticeships in the last two years have obtained national qualifications.

Iain Gray: All of the 8,245 modern apprenticeships who completed training in the last two years obtained a Scottish Vocational Qualification at level 3 or above.

Apprenticeships

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessments are made of those companies and organisations which provide modern apprenticeship schemes for young men and women and how often such assessments take place.

Iain Gray: The enterprise network use the Scottish Quality Management System (SQMS) to assess training providers involved in modern apprenticeships. The SQMS ensures that training programmes and providers meet and maintain minimum quality criteria. Training providers are appraised under the SQMS at least once a year and the enterprise network monitor activity throughout the year.

Apprenticeships

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is given to those organisations and companies which offer modern apprenticeship schemes to enable them to meet adequate skill and training standards.

Iain Gray: The enterprise network provide support to training providers and companies to help them achieve the standards defined in the Scottish Quality Management System (SQMS). This includes expert advice and guidance and financial contributions towards training.

Cremation

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to (a) review and (b) revise the planning criteria for crematoria by amending the Cremation Act 1902 or by any other means.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive has no current plans for a review or revision in this regard.

Crime

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had about how the police can make an impact on street crime.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive has regular discussions with chief constables, police authority conveners and others on a range of policing matters. The most recent meeting with chief constables was on 1 May 2002.

  As our Programme for Government made clear, our policies are designed to promote equality of opportunity, eliminate deprivation and disadvantage and make our country safer and our people feel safer. So, for example, funding for the police service is now at record levels, as are police numbers. However, how various types of crime, including street crime, are tackled locally is primarily an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with the local communities.

Devolution

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the transfer of reserved powers from Her Majesty’s Government to the Scottish Parliament, whether an Order in Council requires the approval of both the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what parliamentary procedures are involved in the preparation and passage of an Order in Council to transfer reserved powers from Her Majesty’s Government to the Scottish Parliament.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: Yes. Orders in Council under section 30 of the Scotland Act must be laid in draft before, and approved by resolution of, the Scottish Parliament and each House of Parliament at Westminster before a recommendation to make the order can be made to Her Majesty in Council.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to strengthen awareness and action around linkages between domestic violence and other forms of male violence at a local level.

Ms Margaret Curran: The National Group to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland has a remit to oversee the implementation of the Action Plan in the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland. This includes the consideration of links between domestic abuse and the wider issues of violence against women. It is for the national group to prioritise its work over the three-year period of the action plan.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided for domestic abuse prevention projects in each of the last three years.

Ms Margaret Curran: Since March 2000, the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund has supported or is still currently supporting, over 80 local multi-agency projects set up to tackle domestic abuse. A large number of these projects include preventative elements. However, funding for projects that could be described as primarily concerned with prevention is as follows:

  2000-01 financial year: eight projects at a total cost of £153,930.

  2001-02 financial year: seven projects at a total cost of £109,545.

  2002-03 financial year: seven projects at a total cost of £249,360.

  In addition the Scottish Executive provided £56,552 in the financial year 2000-01 and £29,440 in the financial year 2001-02 to the Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust, to fund the piloting of the respect package in schools and youth groups in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The aim of this package is to raise awareness amongst young people of the issues around domestic abuse.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a date has been set for the release of the evaluation of the Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust’s "Respect" educational project.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have approved the publication of the evaluation of the Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust’s "Respect" educational project and, whilst I cannot give a specific date at this stage, it is likely to be in early June.

Elections

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21589 by Peter Peacock on 29 April 2002, whether a list of those who voted in the Teith ward by-election in April 2002 will be publicly available for inspection as occurs in normal local authority elections.

Peter Peacock: No. Under the terms of the election pilot run at the Teith by-election, the poll was conducted by an all-postal ballot and every registered voter was issued with a ballot paper. Election rules prevent the use of completed ballot papers to mark a register.

Ferry Services

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any economic assessments have been carried out into the viability of introducing half-hourly ferry services between Gourock and Dunoon operated by Caledonian MacBrayne for (a) passengers only and (b) passengers and vehicles and whether any such assessments will be published.

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an assessment of the two roll-on roll-off ferry services operating on a half-hourly basis between Gourock and Dunoon has been, or will be, carried out.

Lewis Macdonald: No such assessments have been made or are planned, but carrying statistics for the service operated by Caledonian MacBrayne do not suggest that there is any unmet demand that could sustain a more frequent service.

Ferry Services

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the delivery of replacement vessels for the ferry service operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Gourock and Dunoon; what the proposed replacement vessel specification is, and how much each vessel will cost.

Lewis Macdonald: Proposals for the future operation of the Gourock to Dunoon route will be set out in the draft service specification for the Clyde and Western Isles tendering exercise, which we expect to issue for consultation shortly.

  Decisions on the timing, specification and cost of replacement vessels for the fleet employed on Clyde and Western Isles ferry services will be taken as part of the present Spending Review.

Genetically Modified Crops

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any funding from biotechnology companies involved in genetic modification in each of the last three years and, if so, how much it has received and from which companies.

Iain Gray: The Executive has received no such funding in the last three years.

  There are two statutory regulations which require companies, including some biotechnology companies, to pay money to the Executive or its agencies. The Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA) provides statutory services for seed certification and seed testing on a fee paying basis and the pesticides industry, including many biotech companies, pays a compulsory levy under section 18(3) of the Food and Environment Protection Act (1985). The SASA undertakes Pesticides Usage Surveys, foodstuffs surveillance and investigations under the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS), all of which are funded from this levy.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23200 by Hugh Henry on 15 March 2002, whether it plans to make any representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the level of benefit paid to patients in long-stay hospitals.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no plans to make representations to the UK Government regarding the level of benefit paid to patients in long-stay hospitals. Ian McCartney, Minister for Pensions announced on 25 February that the Department for Work and Pensions had decided to extend the period before benefits are downrated for long-stay hospital patients from six to 13 weeks. This change will be introduced to coincide with the introduction of Pension Credit in October 2003.

Higher Education

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to act on the recommendations in the report Research and Knowledge Transfer in Scotland produced by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and Scottish Enterprise joint task group.

Iain Gray: The Executive is considering the issues raised by this report in the context of its current review of higher education, the second consultation paper on which was published on 26 April.

Higher Education

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many acceptances there were for degrees in (a) mechanical engineering, (b) civil engineering, (c) electrical engineering and (d) chemical engineering at higher education institutions in each of the last five years.

Iain Gray: The number of accepted applicants to specific engineering degree courses in Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs) for the last five years has been:

  





1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



(a) Mechanical Engineering 
  

577 
  

669 
  

595 
  

568 
  

539 
  



(b) Civil Engineering 
  

494 
  

419 
  

409 
  

428 
  

411 
  



(c) Electrical and Electronic Engineering 
  

301 
  

223 
  

218 
  

238 
  

306 
  



  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

  Figures on chemical engineering will not be provided by UCAS for publication due to data protection reasons. UCAS will not report data at subject level if there are less than six institutions receiving applications or accepting applicants in a region. This is to maintain institutional confidentiality.

Higher Education

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there were for degrees in (a) mechanical engineering, (b) civil engineering, (c) electrical engineering and (d) chemical engineering at higher education institutions in each of the last five years.

Iain Gray: The number of applications to specific engineering degree courses in Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs) for the last five years has been:

  





1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



(a) Mechanical Engineering 
  

3,499 
  

3,642 
  

3,262 
  

2,957 
  

2,988 
  



(b) Civil Engineering 
  

2,831 
  

2,485 
  

2,381 
  

2,338 
  

2,305 
  



(c) Electrical and Electronic Engineering 
  

1,331 
  

1,069 
  

1,122 
  

1,132 
  

1,205 
  



  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

  Figures on chemical engineering will not be provided by UCAS for publication due to data protection reasons. UCAS will not report data at subject level if there are less than six institutions receiving applications or accepting applicants in a region. This is to maintain institutional confidentiality.

  Latest figures from UCAS for 2002 show that applications to all engineering subjects in Scottish HEIs are up 7% on 2001. This includes a 12% rise for civil engineering, 7% increases for mechanical and chemical engineering and a 1% rise for electronic and electrical engineering.

Historic Buildings

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to (a) the Ministry of Defence and (b) the British Army about withdrawal of guards from Edinburgh Castle.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish Executive and its agencies engage in discussion with the Ministry of Defence and the Army on a wide range of issues, including the management of Edinburgh Castle.

Historic Buildings

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it owns any part of Edinburgh Castle and what role it plays in the operation of the castle.

Dr Elaine Murray: Title to Edinburgh Castle is held by the Scottish ministers. Historic Scotland manages the whole castle site, including the esplanade, on their behalf.

Hospitals

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of violence and aggression were reported at each hospital in each of the last three years, showing the percentage increase year on year and expressed also as a percentage of overall admissions in each case.

Malcolm Chisholm: The first national collection of data from NHS boards and trusts on violent and aggressive incidents took place in 2001 for the financial year 2000-01. Collection of the 2001-02 data is currently on-going. Quality assurance of the 2000-01 data has started and once completed will be made available through the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency. The information will be at NHS board and trust level.

Individual Learning Accounts

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many arrests have been made in connection with any fraud involving the Individual Learning Accounts scheme.

Iain Gray: There have been no arrests in Scotland to date in connection with the Individual Learning Accounts scheme.

Justice

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under the age of 18 appeared before the courts in respect of more than three different matters in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information shows that 354 persons under the age of 18 were proceeded against on more than three occasions in 2000. The equivalent figure for 1999 was 460. These figures exclude proceedings where the main offence was a motoring or other minor offence. Information for 2001 is not expected to be available until around November 2002.

Justice

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that immediate action is taken by the Crown Office and the police in order to make certain that there is no further destruction or mislaying of evidence relating to the Lockerbie bombing case, in view of the possibility of any further appeal or other legal proceedings in respect of this case.

Colin Boyd QC: None of the evidence used in the Lockerbie trial or appeal has been destroyed or mislaid.

Justice

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when training standards for fingerprint experts were last reviewed.

Dr Richard Simpson: Training and development standards are constantly monitored within the fingerprint service and reviewed in light of emergent changes and practices. A strategic reassessment of how training is delivered was carried out in 2000 by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) (ACPOS) Presidential Review Group, Change Management Review Team. Arising from their recommendations, which have now been implemented, all national training is now procured through national fingerprint courses at the National Training Centre for Scientific Support to Crime Investigation, Durham.

  The competency of all experts within the Scottish Fingerprint Service is assessed annually by the independent, external organisation, Collaborative Testing Services Inc.

  Under ACPOS direction, a training forum has been established to consider the development of common practices, procedures and standards relating to fingerprint training issues across Scotland. Issues such as continuous professional development, court presentation training and the re-assessment of training delivery are being currently examined.

Local Government

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) financial and (b) other support it has provided to the Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC) in each of the last three years.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has provided support in the form of grant-funding to the ASCC over the past three financial years as follows: £29,000 in 1999-2000, £30,000 in 2000-01 and £27,000 in 2001-02.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority has allocated to the concessionary fares scheme in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04.

Mr Andy Kerr: Full information on councils’ detailed budget plans for 2002-03 is not yet available. Councils will not set their final budgets for 2003-04 until later this year.

Mining

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support has been provided to Scottish Coal, or any of its subsidiaries, from Scottish Enterprise in the past three years.

Iain Gray: In the three years to 31 March 2002, the Scottish Enterprise network contributed a total of £81,591 in direct support to Scottish Coal Company Ltd and its subsidiaries. These contributions went towards a number of projects including studies on opencast mine reinstatement and the Modern Apprenticeships Scheme at Longannet and were in addition to the bank guarantee of £4.514 million provided by Scottish Enterprise to Scottish Coal (Deep Mine) Ltd and paid to the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Mining

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support has been provided to Scottish Coal, or any of its subsidiaries, from Scottish Enterprise in relation to the Longannet Deep Mine, what the support was intended for and how any such money has been used.

Iain Gray: In June 1999, Scottish Enterprise provided a guarantee to underwrite £5.4 million of bank borrowing by Scottish Coal (Deep Mine) Ltd in order to allow the company to continue trading. The level of this guarantee was varied on several occasions in line with the company’s bank borrowing requirements. Under the terms of the guarantee agreement, Scottish Enterprise has now paid out £4.514 million to the Royal Bank of Scotland.

  In addition, over three years until 31 March 2002, £37,260 was provided from Scottish Enterprise for the Modern Apprenticeships Scheme at Longannet.

Ministry of Defence

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what areas of Edinburgh Castle are occupied or used by (a) the Ministry of Defence and (b) the British Army and whether any rent is paid or payment made by each in respect of such use.

Dr Elaine Murray: The army occupy the following areas:

  the Barrack Block (offices and accommodation);

  a large majority of the Governor’s House with use of the Governor’s Garden (Officer’s Mess and Governor’s official residence);

  the Gatehouse south wing (Guard accommodation);

  the Gunner’s Hut, and

  the new Piping School (administration and stores).

  The Ministry of Defence provide supporting clerical and administrative staff to the army personnel based at Edinburgh Castle.

  There are also two Regimental Museums which occupy part of the Barrack Block, the upper floor of the old Military Prison and the old Drill Hall.

  No payment is made for use of the buildings.

NHS Funding

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was allocated by each NHS board for schemes to tackle (a) alcohol misuse and (b) drug misuse in (i) the current year and (ii) each of the last three years.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Executive does not collect information on funding allocated by NHS boards for schemes to tackle alcohol problems. These are funded from within boards’ general allocations and cannot be separately identified.

  Information on the expenditure reported by each NHS board to tackle drug misuse, submitted by NHS boards to the Executive with their annual accounts for the years 1998-99 to 1999-2000 is shown in the table. The returns may include expenditure from general health allocations. They may exclude some funding allocated for drug misuse which has been used to fund drug-related HIV/AIDs prevention work, for example the funding of needle exchanges. Similar information is not available for 2000-01.

  Financial returns for 2001-02, which will report expenditure on drug misuse services and HIV prevention, will be available later this year. Financial information for 2001-02 is also currently being sought through Drug Action Team Corporate Action Plans.

  





1999-2000
Drugs Misuse
(£) 
  

1998-99
Drug Abuse Projects
(£) 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

952,674 
  

656,167 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

641,901 
  

436,280 
  



Borders 
  

26,226 
  

21,558 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

30,124 
  

115,223 
  



Fife 
  

481,258 
  

273,616 
  



Forth Valley 
  

241,066 
  

124,682 
  



Grampian 
  

972,395 
  

890,441 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

2,328,903 
  

2,813,767 
  



Highland 
  

250,365 
  

139,059 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

875,747 
  

311,942 
  



Lothian 
  

1,024,538 
  

1,005,797 
  



Orkney 
  

43,551 
  

38,508 
  



Shetland 
  

0 
  

80,589 
  



Tayside 
  

1,358,450 
  

973,552 
  



Western Isles 
  

58,710 
  

41,947

National Insurance Contributions

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications are of the increase in employer's National Insurance contributions for local authorities as employers and whether it will make any assistance available to local authorities to meet additional expenditure on such contributions.

Mr Andy Kerr: The implications for local authorities of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions will depend on a range of factors which relate to councils’ staffing and pay levels. We are discussing the total future funding requirements for local government with COSLA as part of the spending review process.

National Insurance Contributions

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual financial impact will be of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions for (a) Scottish Enterprise, (b) Highlands and Islands Enterprise and (c) each local enterprise company in each of the next three years.

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual financial impact will be of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions for (a) VisitScotland, (b) each area tourist board, (c) the Scottish Prison Service and (d) Communities Scotland in each of the next three years.

Mr Andy Kerr: The overall annual financial impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions for the public sector in Scotland as a whole is estimated to be no more than £80 million. For any individual organisation such as the enterprise bodies, the impact will be roughly equivalent to 1% of the pay bill. Details of how much individual public sector organisations spend on pay is already made available through a wide range of published documents, including for example bodies’ annual reports and accounts.

National Insurance Contributions

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost will be to each local authority in 2003-04 of the changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions announced in the UK 2002 Budget.

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost will be to each NHS (a) board and (b) trust in 2003-04 of the changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions announced in the UK 2002 Budget.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to S1W-25291 today.

National Insurance Contributions

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the additional cost to the NHS will be of the increase in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK 2002 Budget.

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the additional cost will be to local authorities in respect of directly employed staff of the increase in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK 2002 Budget.

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the additional cost will be to local authorities in respect of indirectly employed staff of the increase in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK 2002 Budget.

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the additional cost will be to police and fire services of the increase in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK 2002 Budget.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25291 today.

National Insurance Contributions

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for each (a) police and (b) fire board and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be in 2003-04 as a result of the changes announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (i) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (ii) a 2% increase for all employees, (iii) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (iv) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be for the SPS in 2003-04 following the changes in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (a) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (b) a 2% pay increase for all employees, (c) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (d) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25291 today.

National Insurance Contributions

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for the Civil Service and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be in 2003-04 as a result of the changes announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (i) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (ii) a 2% increase for all employees, (iii) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (iv) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25291 today.

National Insurance Contributions

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for each higher education institution and what the estimated annual amount of employers National Insurance contributions will be for each institution in 2003-04 following the changes to National Insurance contributions announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (a) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (b) a 2% increase for all employees, (c) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (d) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and annual amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for further education institutions and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be for each institution in 2003-04 following the changes in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (a) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (b) a 2% pay increase for all employees, (c) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (d) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for (a) VisitScotland, (b) Scottish Enterprise, (c) Highlands and Islands Enterprise and (d) each area tourist board and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be for each organisation in 2003-04 following the changes in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (i) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (ii) a 2% pay increase for all employees, (iii) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (iv) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25291 today.

National Insurance Contributions

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for housing associations and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be for housing associations in 2003-04 following the changes in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (a) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (b) a 2% pay increase for all employees, (c) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (d) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions are for Communities Scotland and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be for Communities Scotland in 2003-04 following the changes in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (a) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (b) a 2% pay increase for all employees, (c) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (d) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25291 today.

National Insurance Contributions

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance contributions will be for each local authority and what the estimated annual amount of employers’ National Insurance contributions will be for each local authority in 2003-04 following the changes in National Insurance contributions announced in the UK Budget 2002 assuming (a) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (b) a 2% pay increase for all employees, (c) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (d) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25291 today.

National Insurance Contributions

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current annual pay bill and amount paid in employers’ National Insurance (NI) contributions is for each NHS board and what its estimate is of the total cost of employers’ NI contributions to be paid by each such board in 2003-04, following the changes announced in the UK Budget 2002 and assuming (a) no change to the total pay bill from the current year, (b) a 2% pay increase for all employees, (c) a 3% pay increase for all employees and (d) a 4% pay increase for all employees.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25291 today.

Police

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much per capita funding was allocated to each police force in (a) the current year and (b) each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is shown in the following table.

  Funding Per Capita

  

 

2002-03 
  

2001-02 
  

2000-01 
  

1999-2000 
  



Central 
  

£132.64 
  

£127.91 
  

£120.39 
  

£118,56 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

£159.08 
  

£155.35 
  

£146.21 
  

£141.77 
  



Fife 
  

£126.63 
  

£125.60 
  

£118.87 
  

£111.56 
  



Grampian 
  

£138.34 
  

£130.82 
  

£120.24 
  

£116.29 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

£167.47 
  

£158.22 
  

£150.20 
  

£146.33 
  



Northern 
  

£156.71 
  

£153.22 
  

£140.49 
  

£133.54 
  



Strathclyde 
  

£171.93 
  

£163.89 
  

£155.61 
  

£149.55 
  



Tayside 
  

£164.68 
  

£159.40 
  

£149.41 
  

£141.68 
  



  The method by which funds are distributed between the forces is currently under review.

Police

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional funding for special responsibilities was allocated to each police force in (a) the current year and (b) each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: For both 2001-02 and 2002-03, bids for general funding submitted by Scottish police forces have been met in full. In addition, the Executive has provided additional funding to meet certain new demands. These have included:

  £220,000 to Fife Constabulary in 2001-02 for the policing costs of the new European ferry at Rosyth;

  £117,000 to Lothian and Borders Police in 2001-02 to meet the costs of its Parliamentary Policing Unit when the Parliament is not sitting, and

  £1.4 million spread across all forces in 2001-02, including Grampian Police, to meet additional policing pressures following the events of 11 September 2001.

Police

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources are being made available to the police in order to reduce levels of street robberies and violent crime.

Mr Jim Wallace: Funding for the police service in Scotland is now at record levels, as are the number of police officers. Within the totals made available, an extra £24 million has been provided over the last three years by the Executive specifically to boost police recruitment. It is for police authorities to set budgets and for chief constables to make decisions about operational requirements within their force areas.

Police

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it collects on the proportion of police officers involved in patrolling public places (a) on foot and (b) in vehicles.

Mr Jim Wallace: None. The deployment of police officers to particular tasks is an operational matter for Chief Constables.

Recycling

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met the recovery and recycling targets for 2001 set by the EC Packaging Waste Directive.

Ross Finnie: There is no separate target for Scotland under the EC Packaging Waste Directive. However, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced today that the UK has narrowly failed to meet the 50% overall recovery target for 2001 set by the EC Packaging Waste Directive.

  The full text of his reply is:

  The UK narrowly failed to meet the overall packaging waste recovery target in 2001, but met the overall recycling target and the material-specific recycling targets for all materials.

  The recovery and recycling of packaging waste carried out in 2001 are as follows:

  Recovery and Recycling Carried Out in 2001 (UK)

  


(3) Re-processing for which no PRN/PERN issued (incl. in 
  (1)) 
  

(4) PRN & PERN carried forward to 2002 
  

(5) Tonnes accepted for recovery and recycling, UK 
  






Paper 
  

1,851,505 
  

179,439 
  

 25,895 
  

 83,064 
  

2,030,944 
  



Glass 
  

 696,578 
  

 39,016 
  

 17,036 
  

 29,273 
  

 735,594 
  



Aluminium 
  

 25,869 
  

 3,161 
  

 1 
  

 821 
  

 29,030 
  



Steel 
  

 141,343 
  

136,736 
  

 3,051 
  

 8,365 
  

 278,079 
  



Plastic 
  

 203,149 
  

 66,813 
  

 6,077 
  

 10,506 
  

 269,962 
  



Wood 
  

 573,951 
  




 4,985 
  

 23,742 
  

 573,951 
  



Alt. evidence 
  

 30,741 
  










 30,741 
  



Total recycling 
  

3,523,136 
  

 425,165 
  

 57,045 
  

 155,771 
  

3,948,3 01 
  



Efw 
  

 513,939 
  




 913 
  

 24,986 
  

 513,939 
  



Total 
  

 4,037,075 
  

 425,165 
  

 57,958 
  

180,757 
  

4,462,240 
  



  Article 6(1) of the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC set the following targets -

  Between 50% and 65% recovery

  Between 25% and 45% recycling

  15% recycling of each material

  The UK performance against the targets is shown in the table.

  UK Performance against 2001 Directive Targets

  


Material 
  

Target 
  

Performance 
  



Paper 
  

15% 
  

53% 
  



Glass 
  

15% 
  

33% 
  



Aluminium 
  

15% 
  

24% ) "metals" 35% 
  



Steel 
  

15% 
  

37% ) 
  



Plastic 
  

15% 
  

16% 
  



Wood 
  

15% 
  

57%* 
  



Total Recovery 
  

50% - 65% 
  

47.9 % ~ 
  



Total Recycling 
  

25% - 45% 
  

42 % 
  



  The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) and parallel legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland implement these targets in the UK. The regulations place recovery and recycling obligations on producers to enable the UK to attain the directive recovery and recycling targets. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment Agency have reported that one compliance scheme and a number of individually registered businesses failed to meet their tonnage recovery obligations under the packaging regulations - a total shortfall of 263,832 tonnes against a combined total obligation of 823,003 tonnes.

Residential Care

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to raise the capital limit at which care home residents become liable to pay accommodation charges, currently set at £18,500, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has made unprecedented levels of funding available to support the cost of residential care as part of an overall package of over £1.3 billion for social services for 2002-03. There are no plans at present to raise the capital limits used in assessing a person’s ability to contribute towards the cost of their residential care but these limits are reviewed on a regular basis.

  Currently, care home residents with capital above the lower limit of £11,500 are required to contribute from their capital toward the cost of their care and those with capital above the upper limit of £18,500 are required to pay their fees in full. After 1 July those residents will still be required to pay accommodation charges but all in need of nursing care will be able to benefit by £65 per week and all older people will be able to benefit by up to £145 per week towards the cost of personal care.

Rural Development

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants for owner occupation (GRO grants) were made in Dumfries and Galloway in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02; what the value was of each grant; who the recipient developer was in each case, and how many units were provided in each location .

Ms Margaret Curran: One grant for owner occupation (GRO Grants) was made in the time period. The recipient was Robison and Davidson Limited, 30 homes in Thornhill were provided and the grant value was £408,406. The project was approved in 1999-2000.

Rural Development

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to award grants for owner occupation (GRO grants) in Dumfries and Galloway in 2002-03; what the value of each grant will be; who the recipient developer will be in each case, and in which locations the units will be provided.

Ms Margaret Curran: There are no current plans to award grants for owner-occupation (GRO Grants) in Dumfries and Galloway in 2002-03.

Rural Development

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Rural Home Ownership Grants were made in Dumfries and Galloway in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02; what the value was of each grant; what the location was of each development, and how many units were provided in each location.

Ms Margaret Curran: In each of the years no Rural Home Ownership Grants were approved in Dumfries and Galloway.

Rural Development

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it anticipates for Rural Home Ownership Grants in Dumfries and Galloway and what anticipated levels of resources will be allocated to such grants for each of the next three years.

Ms Margaret Curran: A Rural Enabler is currently working in a number of village settlements across Dumfries and Galloway to help determine further the housing circumstances and needs of those villages. Once the studies are concluded Communities Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway Council will review the findings and determine appropriate responses. This may include using the Rural Home Ownership Grant. The anticipated level of resources will depend on the outcome of the review of findings.

Young Offenders

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people under the age of 17 appeared before the courts in respect of more than three different matters in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information shows that 66 persons under the age of 17 were proceeded against on more than three occasions in 2000. The equivalent figures for 1998 and 1999 were 152 and 117 respectively. These figures exclude proceedings where the main offence was a motoring or other minor offence.

Young Offenders

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the number of young offenders who offended while on bail in each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information available centrally relates to offenders convicted with an aggravated sentence recorded in respect of their having committed an offence while on bail, or who had a charge proved under the Bail (Scotland) Act 1980 for re-offending while on bail. The number of such convictions recorded for offenders aged under 21 was 4,035 in 1998, 3,567 in 1999 and 2,973 in 2000. The completeness and quality of the data on bail aggravated sentences will be reviewed as part of on-going research into the bail reoffending provisions introduced by the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1995.

Young Offenders

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the number of young offenders who committed offences during school hours in each of the last three years.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally. It is not always possible to establish precisely when an offence took place.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Scottish Parliament Information

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what steps have been taken, or will be taken, to publish a daily document entitled "What’s On in the Scottish Parliament" publicising parliamentary business, cross-party group meetings, visiting delegations, receptions and other related events within or around the vicinity of the parliamentary complex to ensure that the general public and the Parliament itself are aware of all events in advance in order to encourage maximum awareness and participation.

Sir David Steel: This information is not gathered together in one convenient place at the moment, and staff in the relevant offices are examining ways in which this might best be achieved without duplicating existing efforts.